The term “influencer” (sometimes also known as “content creator”) describes an individual who earns income via posting videos and other content to social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok. Different platforms can be monetized in different ways: For example, on YouTube, the most successful creators receive a percentage of the site’s ad revenue, while Instagram influencers are paid directly by brands whose products they promote. The influencer industry can be traced to the rise of successful bloggers in the early to mid-2000s. Individuals who started successful blogs (websites consisting of units of written content known as “posts,” typically released at regular intervals) began to monetize by including paid advertisements and sometimes endorsing specific products. Because blogs often included comment sections in which creators could engage directly with readers, this type of digital content began to foster what is known as parasocial relationships, in which readers or followers experienced the psychological illusion of “knowing” and feeling emotionally connected to a creator, even though they only ever engage with them in a highly mediated way.

As visual-based social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest became increasingly popular, and smart phones made it easier than ever to produce sophisticated visual and video content, the influencer industry shifted towards video creators. Influencers can earn income in a variety of ways, including sponsored posts and the use of affiliate links (in which the creator earns a percentage of the income if a follower makes a purchase via a link provided by the creator). Typically, an influencer’s earning potential will be in large part determined by their number of followers (which also impacts a brand’s willingness to work with them), so building and maintaining high numbers of followers is crucial to success. Successful influencers may also be gifted product (a phenomenon that Zhang depicts in her novel) in hopes they will feature or review it, bolstering sales from their followers. The appeal of working as an influencer has led individuals with established expertise in their fields, including dentists, therapists, financial advisors and more, to use social media platforms to grow their personal brands and share their knowledge. At the same time, the relatively democratic nature of social media can make it difficult to distinguish real expertise from charlatanism. A variety of “wellness influencers” have been criticized, for example, for making claims that are not supported by scientific research.

Working as an influencer can be an appealing career choice, as it can offer significant autonomy and flexibility, the opportunity to focus on one’s passion (which might be fashion, travel, wellness, etc.), and a potentially unlimited income stream. However, very few influencers achieve the success of the highest-performing content creators, and the industry is largely unregulated and unprotected. There can also be significant mental health repercussions for engaging heavily in online spaces where cruel comments are likely to happen frequently. Many successful influencers have alluded to the mental health toll of being subject to constant and intense public scrutiny, and to the difficulty of achieving anything resembling work life balance when one’s entire life becomes fodder for content. Female influencers, in particular, are often subject to criticisms about their bodies and appearances. There is also data to suggest that white, able-bodied influencers who conform to traditional beauty standards tend to have more followers and earn greater profits than individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds. For example, a 2022 study by The Influencer League concluded that only 23% of Black influencers had more than 50,000 followers, whereas 41% of white influencers met that benchmark. This disparity in audience share correlates to a disparity in compensation: BIPOC influencers earn 29% less on average than white influencers, and Black influencers specifically earn 35% less (Hunt, Alan. “Black Influencers Earn 35 Percent Less than White Influencers, Nearly Half Report that Their Race Contributed to an Offer Below Market Value.” Who’s Who in Black, 2022). Social media has undoubtedly provided a platform for some underrepresented individuals to educate and build community, but, as Zhang explores in her novel, it is far from an equitable space.